Kill for Me
by eliadealegria
Summary: Ella has finally gotten her dream job at C & R and believes that her life has changed for the better. However, after receiving a chilling phone call from an unknown caller, her life begins to turn upside down. As she searches for clues that will uncover the truth about the mysterious caller, she discovers something that puts her life in danger. Can Ella bring the mystery man down?
1. Chapter 1: Mysterious Phone Call

**AN: (Author's Note)**

This story idea started in 2017. I wrote the first 80 pages in 2017/2018 but became frustrated with where the story was going, so I filed it away for the future.

Now, I'm back again with a better idea of where I want the story to go and how I want it to end. I hope you enjoy reading my MM fanfiction as much as I enjoyed writing it!

This is a thriller/mystery mostly, but it's also a romance between Jumin and MC.

Please stay tuned for future chapter updates as I slowly edit my way through the old story and make necessary changes!

I haven't played Another Story, but I have read some things about it. Some of the events left me with a multitude of questions, so this story answers the questions that I had. 

**Chapter One**

 **Mysterious Phone Call**

Ella Song looked up at the tall building of C & R and felt a wave of panic rush through her. Somehow, she had managed to land this job, though she had no idea what she had done to deserve it. She found it difficult to find a job after graduating and had to resort to working at the bookstore that was only a few blocks from where she lived. She had waited all her life for this pivotal moment, though now that it was here, she wasn't sure she could go through with it.

At that moment, a black car pulled up front and the back door opened. A tall and slender young man got out of the car dressed in crisp black dress pants, black blazer, and pinstriped-collared shirt. His hair styled to perfection, an expressionless look on his face. It was her boss, Jumin Han.

Ella gulped, her heart pounding against her ribcage, threatening to leap into her throat. She watched as he walked towards the building without even giving her a second look. She wasn't used to people _not_ looking at her. On the contrary, people _always_ looked at her as her physical appearance was something of an oddity. Height wise, she fit in, but the fact that she had tan-colored skin and bright emerald green eyes, and smooth natural light brown curly hair made her stand out like a sore thumb. Despite the fact that she had lived in Korea her entire life and spoke Korean fluently, she didn't _look_ Korean except for the slight slant of her eyes.

Then again, her boss was the Executive Director of C & R and next in line to inherit his father's company, so she couldn't blame him for not noticing one of his own employees.

Taking a deep breath, Ella straightened her black blazer and smoothed out her black skirt. She then lifted her head high and walked towards the glass doors of the building, her heels clicking on the pavement as she walked.

Upon entering, she had to scan her identification card at the next set of doors in order for them to slide open, allowing her access to the elevator. She made her way to the top floor where her new cubicle waited for her. While other employees' desks had pictures of their families and other things that identified with their personalities, hers was bare. She just had a desk, Banana computer, chair, phone, and a small filing cabinet. There was nothing else on her desk. There never would be.

Ella felt the other employees staring at her as she walked past their desks and she avoided their eyes and double-takes as she strode purposefully towards her desk and set her purse down just under the desk in a little cubby that was tucked at the back corner. She turned on the computer and used her new login ID and password to enter the system so she could get to work.

Once she logged in, she received an alert on her computer notifying her that they had a meeting first thing. She had half an hour to gather materials and information that she would need for her first meeting. She smiled to herself and opened up the internet browser, finally feeling in her element and forgetting all the eyes that were still staring at her until their own computers beeped at them.

… **.**

Half an hour later, Ella was following the other employees to the meeting room where Jumin's assistant, Assistant Kang, was setting down all the necessary materials. Ella found an empty seat near the door and sat down, setting her folder down in front of her. The other employees filed in and sat down, talking among themselves and casting her curious looks. She ignored them, staring straight ahead at the blank whiteboard.

Once all the employees were settled, Jumin walked into the room and made his way towards the front of the room. All talking died down the moment he walked in. Ella could feel the tension in the room as Assistant Kang stood next to Jumin.

"As you can see by the reports," Jumin started without as much as a greeting. "We have maintained our sales this quarter. I would like to see an increase in profit for the next quarter of at least fifty percent," Jumin continued. Ella heard the woman next to her inhale sharply. Ella quickly shuffled through the reports in front of her as she continued to listen to him talk. Fifty percent was a lot.

"Each of you has been given areas where I'd like to see improvement. If you have any further ideas, let me know." The entire room was quiet. Ella could sense the anxiety coming off of the people in the room. What were they so afraid of? She wondered to herself as she looked Jumin straight in the eye.

"Sir, my recent search indicates that there's a huge spike in wine and coffee sales overseas. Have you thought about focusing on developing those two areas in a franchise?" she asked. Everyone's eyes turned towards her, including Jumin's steel-grey eyes. He regarded her coolly, she ignored it.

"Also, from my research, it appears that you have your own winery. I think it would be profitable to produce different kinds of wines that are currently trending right now."

"And how do you suggest we advertise such wine?" Jumin asked, his eyes still looking coldly at her.

"More people are using electronics as a way of connecting with the world, so I think it would be a good idea to use social media and commercials, especially if you can make the commercial appealing to a wide audience between the ages of twenty-five and sixty-eight. According to the research, those are the ages that most consume wine."

The entire room was dead silent as Jumin continued staring at her. He looked down at the papers in front of him thoughtfully. She could feel the tension rising, but she kept her eyes locked onto Jumin's face. There was no way she was going to show that she was afraid of her boss even though everyone else clearly was.

"That's not a bad idea," he finally said. The other employees stared at her with wide eyes, though she had no idea why. "I'd like a full report on how you think sales will improve with this, as well as how you plan on executing this idea by lunch."

"Yes, sir," Ella nodded her head.

Wait. Did he just say _lunch_? Meaning today's lunch? She looked at her white resin Fozil watch which she had purchased just the day before yesterday at her favorite second-hand shop. She had been lucky because it looked brand new and even came in the original case. It was slightly big for her slender wrist, but that was the current fashion trend. The top ring had tiny Sorovski crystals all around it and had three smaller sub-eyes inside it for the day of the week, month, and 24-hour time. It looked very classy in her opinion, and she wanted to make sure she made a good impression on her boss on the first day.

"Does anyone else have anything to add?" Jumin asked, searching the room with his eyes, but everyone avoided eye contact with him.

"In that case, I want each of you to come up with a way to improve sales in each department, and I'd like those reports on my desk in two hours." Jumin briskly walked out of the room with his assistant following him out, leaving everyone else in the room in full panic mode. They groaned as soon as Jumin and his assistant were out of earshot. Panic was on their faces as they gathered their materials hastily and made their way back to their cubicles, leaving Ella wondering why they were acting the way they were.

… **.**

Ella stretched her arms over her head and glanced at the clock. She had finished her report with half an hour to spare. She made her way to the staff room to make herself a cup of coffee, then returned to her desk to look over her report for any errors, including grammatical and punctuation mistakes.

Once she finished, she printed out her report and made her way to the printer. She checked the report one more time, nodded her head in satisfaction, and placed the report inside a folder. She made her way over to Jumin's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in," she heard him say from the other side. Ella pushed the door open and found Jumin sitting at his desk drinking a cup of coffee. He didn't look up at her from whatever it was he was working on, but he was frowning.

"I finished my report, sir," Ella said stepping into his office.

"Put it on my desk," he instructed. Ella moved in closer and placed the folder on his desk, glancing down at the papers he had in front of him, lying on his desk.

She could see that he was currently going over a report from another employee. From where she was standing, she easily found an error in punctuation. It wasn't obvious to most people since they often made the mistake of omitting the Oxford comma in writing. She quickly moved away from his desk and stood back. She could see the muscle in his jaws clenching slightly.

"Is there anything else you require from me?" she asked him.

"Yes," he said. She waited as he placed the report he was reading back in the folder. He handed it to her with a strained look on his face. "Please return this to Ms. Choi and ask her to fix her mistakes." Ella took the folder in her hands and nodded her head. She wanted to know if he had also noticed the punctuation mistake but knew better than to ask her boss something like that.

"Excuse me," she said as she bowed to him and left the office. She shut the door quietly behind her and stood staring at all the cubicles in front of her. Now, who was Ms. Choi? She quickly scanned the names on the cubicles, but since she wasn't wearing her glasses, she couldn't see the names properly. Ella sighed and made her way back to her desk to grab her glasses so she could finish her task.

Again, she scanned the names and found Ms. Choi's cubicle near the back of the room. Ella made her way over to the woman with long black hair cascading over her shoulders and her pale white face. On closer inspection of the woman, Ella noticed that her nose looked unnaturally small. It wasn't uncommon for Korean women to get plastic surgery to improve their appearance. Her cherry red lips were pursed as her brown eyes met Ella's.

"Excuse me, Mr. Han asked me to return this to you," Ella started. "He would like you to fix your mistakes." Ms. Choi took the folder from her with horror.

"What mistakes?" she asked with alarm as she flipped through the report again. She glanced at the clock and sighed heavily. "I'm going to miss my lunch!" she exclaimed in a high-pitched voice that made Ella's ears bleed. Why some men found voices like Ms. Choi's attractive was beyond her. It took every ounce of strength and determination that she had to not put her hands over her ears.

Ella returned to her cubicle and grabbed her purse. She hadn't made a lunch, so she was going to have to go out and get one. She waited for the elevator and when the doors opened, a chef got out pushing a tray with something that smelled delicious. She couldn't see what it was since it was covered with a silver lid, but whatever it was made her mouth water and her stomach growl as he wheeled the tray past her. Ella got on the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby. Just as the doors were closing, she saw the chef knock on Jumin's office door.

The day ended and Ella walked to the train station, catching the train just before it left. She stood and watched the scenery pass by, stifling a yawn. She wasn't used to getting up so early and leaving work so late. At the bookstore, she had worked eight hours, but today, she had somehow pulled a thirteen hour day and it wasn't over yet. She still had to stop at the grocery store to pick up a few groceries for her dinner.

Ella got off the train once it arrived at her station and made her way to the grocery store just a few block away from her apartment. She picked up the necessary items she would need, paid for them, then walked home, lost in her own world. She hadn't even realized that she was home until she found herself staring at her front door. Snapping out of her reverie, she pulled out her keys from her purse and unlocked the door.

The smell of onions permeated from her neighbor's apartment, wafting over to Ella's nostrils. Her stomach growled, though her mind was tired. Nonetheless, once Ella got inside her apartment, which smelled of Japanese incense, she began cooking her dinner.

After having a successful and productive first day at work, Ella rewarded herself with her favorite food: bibimbap and a large glass of red wine. She put on some relaxing classical music and sat down at her small table to eat her meal, savoring every bite.

… **.**

The next day at work was just as productive. She found her folder on her desk with a post-it note attached to the front in neat writing that read: provide a more in-depth analysis of advertisements, types of wine, and the best grapes to use. Ella immediately began to work on her project, easily finding the information that she needed. She was glad to finally be able to put her research skills to good use.

She began typing up her report into carefully planned sections. She even created a poll and sent it to liquor stores across North America, posted it to social media sites, and did some extra sleuthing online from different wine communities. She even went so far as to call some other wineries in North America to ask for their expertise on types of grapes to use for each particular wine and scribbled down notes in her purple Rhodium notebook.

By the time she had finished the first seven pages of her report, it was late. Jumin hadn't said when he wanted it handed to him, so she continued working even after everyone else in the office left. The only two people that remained in the office were Jumin and Assistant Kang.

She hadn't seen Jumin all day today, but she had seen his assistant leaving his office frequently with a stack full of reports in her arms. By the expressions and whispers of the other employees, Ella took it that Jumin wasn't impressed with their reports and wanted them to fix their errors or to re-write them. Ella couldn't blame him. It was his father's company after all and this was Jumin's department. It was impossible to accept anything other than the best of the best. She understood that since she was a perfectionist herself when it came to work.

Ella's eyes were beginning to hurt when she finally finished editing her report. She printed it out, checked it over, then stuck it inside a folder. She headed towards Jumin's office and knocked, but didn't receive an answer. The blinds were closed in his office, so she couldn't see inside. Frowning, she went to his assistant's office and knocked. His assistant looked up at her with surprise.

"Sorry to bother you," Ella started. "I have the report Mr. Han asked for. I knocked on his door, but there was no answer."

"He's probably on the phone," Jaehee said softly. She had short brown hair, kind intelligent brown eyes, and glasses. She was also very pretty and slender. Ella would kill to have her body! Her own body was curvy with larger hips than most Korean women, but she wasn't fat. She may not have a flat stomach like Jaehee, but her body shape was more or less the ideal shape years ago when Mary-Lynne Monroe had been alive.

"Can I leave it with you, or should I wait until Mr. Han is finished his call?" Ella asked.

"You can leave it with me," Jaehee said tiredly. Ella looked closely at Jaehee and noticed that she had dark circles under her eyes. Either she had trouble sleeping or work was keeping her from sleeping. She then noticed the large stack of papers on the table behind Jaehee and wondered if those were all the things that she had to do before the end of the day.

Ella nodded her head and handed the file to Jaehee, she paused at the door, hesitating, but Jaehee had gone back to work and hadn't noticed that Ella was still lingering at the door. Not wanting to disturb her further, Ella turned and exited Jaehee's office, making her way towards the elevator and her small apartment.

Ella lounged in the bathtub with her book, a glass of wine resting next to her. It had been a long time since she had soaked in the tub, though she couldn't think of any reasons why she hadn't had one sooner. Ella was sipping her white wine when her cellphone rang. Odd, she thought. She looked at the caller ID and realized that it was an unknown name and unknown number. She furrowed her eyebrows as she answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Hello Ella," a male's voice greeted her. She didn't recognize the voice. "Are you enjoying your bath?" he asked her. Ella's eyes darted around the bathroom, though she knew that it was impossible for anyone to see her as there was no window. She set her wineglass down and slowly sat up.

"Who is this?" Ella demanded.

"Well that's no way to greet someone, is it?" he asked. She had no idea what he was talking about.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Well, that depends," the voice said playfully.

"On what?"

"On how well you play your part."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't worry. I will tell you all in good time. For now, just keep doing what you do best and don't mention this call to anyone…" his voice trailed off. "Though, you don't have anyone to tell, do you?" he laughed and the sound sent chills down her spine. "I'll be in touch," he said.

Ella pulled the phone away from her ear, staring at it as though it had suddenly turned into snake.

"Oh, and Ella?" he asked. Hesitantly, she put the phone back up to her ear.

"What?"

"You better answer my calls." With that, he hung up. Ella tossed the phone onto the thick padded bathroom mat.

What the hell was that about?

Suddenly feeling dirty, Ella drained the bathwater and took a scalding hot shower, scrubbing at her skin with her loofah sponge until her skin was red and raw.

Immediately after her shower, she wrapped her satin housecoat around her and searched the house. She lifted up every item, looked under every table and surface, checked all her clothing, shoes, and lamps, but found nothing.

How had the man known her name or that she was in the bath? On top of that, how had he gotten her number? Perhaps it was a prank, she tried telling herself, but she knew that was impossible. How had he known that she didn't have anyone to talk to? She shivered and moved towards the windows, checking that they were shut properly. She double-checked the front door and the balcony door to ensure that she had locked them, and then padded barefoot into her bedroom.

She turned off the light and let her robe fall to the floor, slipping into bed in her underwear and a t-shirt. Her hand reached over to turn the light on but stopped halfway. She wasn't in the mood to read now, instead, she turned onto her back and stared at the ceiling in the dark, wondering who had called her.


	2. Chapter 2: How's My Life?

Chapter Two

How's My Life?

The next few days went by as normally as possible, despite the fact that the other employees still stared at her. Usually, people stopped staring after the first two days, but the fact that she continuously felt their eyes on her made her feel rather paranoid. She was certain that even if she hadn't received that strange phone call she would still feel paranoid from all the stares. To make things even worse, whenever she entered the staff room, their talking died down, as if they had been talking about her.

Jumin had asked her to work more on the wine project that she had proposed, and she gladly spent her time at work on that assignment. She was glad that work kept her busy because she was terrified when she went home. Terrified that whoever had called her would do it again and that she would find out what he had meant. On top of that, she was always looking over her shoulder, scared that someone was following her, watching her every move.

On Friday, once everyone had gone home for the day except for Ella, Jaehee, and Jumin, Jaehee had gone over to Ella's desk to talk.

"Ms. Song?" Jaehee began. Ella looked up at Jaehee with tired eyes, glad for the short reprieve from the glare of the computer. "I've noticed that you are always the last one to leave," Jaehee said. Ella nodded her head.

"I prefer working here than at home," Ella replied. It was the truth. As much as she loved the comfort of home, she hated bringing work with her. Now that she had this unknown person to worry about, she would prefer sleeping at work.

"I can understand that," Jaehee sympathized. Ella wondered why Jaehee preferred working here than her own home but refrained from asking. Her temples were beginning to throb from all the stress she was under.

"I wanted to talk to you in private, if I may," Jaehee began. Ella nodded her head, resting her hands in her lap. "There's no delicate way of putting this."

Oh, God. Was she going to fire her? Her heart started racing in her chest as dread filled her. "I've noticed the other employees whispering about you. I was just wondering if you've noticed?"

"Yes, but I have more important things to worry about than what everyone thinks of me."

"That's a good attitude to have, and I'm glad that their whispering hasn't deterred you from working hard. I just wanted to let you know. If things get out of hand, Mr. Han will have to have a talk with them."

Ella cringed. That was the last thing she needed. This wasn't high school.

"Has it affected my work at all?" Ella asked.

"No, not in the slightest. In fact, Mr. Han was praising your efficiency and attention to detail in your reports. Mr. Han is not one to compliment so freely."

Ella let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God. I thought you were going to fire me," Ella admitted. Jaehee looked taken aback.

"I'm sorry if I gave you that impression," she apologized. "I just hate gossip in the workplace."

"Thank you for telling me. Do you know what they've been saying about me?"

"Are you sure you want to know?" Jaehee asked, surprised.

Ella nodded her head and Jaehee let out a small sigh. She then pulled over a chair from the cubicle beside hers and sat on it, crossing her ankles and tucking her legs over to the side.

"Very well. They seem quite angry that someone who's not even Korean is working on this floor. Usually new employees start on the first floor and work their way up through hard work and dedication to the company. They are also quite perturbed that Mr. Han asks more of you than of them and that he never sends back a report with a yellow post-it on your folder."

Ella couldn't help but feel a little angry at that. How absurd!

"Uh, I don't quite follow. What's so significant about the yellow-post it?" Ella recalled handing Ms. Choi her report back and there had been a yellow post-it on it, but her own had had a purple one.

"Yellow means errors and review before re-submission, pink means that it's ready to be handed to me. Purple, however, means that it's ready for fleshing out, and holds that person under a lot of responsibility."

"Okay," Ella furrowed her brows. "I still don't see why they are jealous that I get purple and they don't." Jaehee smiled at her.

"The only person that gets purple, other than you, is me," Jaehee said simply.

Now it made sense. Jaehee was Mr. Han's personal assistant. Of course, she was given the most responsibility within the department, she was also the one that fleshed out the reports of the others. Now that Jaehee mentioned it, it did seem rather strange for Mr. Han to be giving her so much responsibility when she was a brand new employee with no experience under her belt, and she didn't even look Korean.

"I see." Ella didn't know what else to say to this.

"I'm really glad that you're working here. Not only because you're a woman, but because you work efficiently, especially under pressure. Your work habits give me less to work on as well, which is an added bonus." Jaehee smiled kindly at her, pushing up her glasses on her nose.

"I saw the piles of reports on your desk," Ella remembered. Jaehee smiled gently.

"Yes, I don't remember what my desk even looks like, buried under all those reports." Jaehee and Ella laughed softly together.

"Do you even have time to eat?" Ella asked her, feeling a little more at ease with Jaehee.

"Unfortunately, no. Most of the time I've got too much to do that I barely have enough time to go to the bathroom."

Ella suddenly felt sorry for her.

"I'll let you get back to your work," Jaehee said. She walked away and Ella immediately continued working.

Moments after Jaehee went back into her office, Jumin's office door opened and he emerged. He didn't even glance at Jaehee in her office or say goodbye. He strode towards the elevator, passing Ella's cubicle on the way and he glanced over, noticing the pale pink of her blouse from the corner of his eye and her sweet yet musky Dyor perfume.

"Ms. Song, you're still here," he said with some surprise.

Ella looked up at him sheepishly.

"I'm a workaholic," she admitted.

"That's another thing we have in common," Jumin admitted to both their surprise. Ella had seen that Jumin was a man of little words, whatever he said was for the benefit of getting what he wanted out of his employees. She had never heard him talk about himself personally to anyone, not even Jaehee. She found herself smiling at him.

"Don't go home too late, it's not safe for a lady to be wandering around late at night."

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Han. I'll leave shortly." She bowed her head at him. She watched his back retreating down the corridor towards the elevator and probably off to some ridiculously expensive penthouse. She could only imagine what it looked like.

True to her word, Ella left shortly after Jumin.

The sky was dark, the moon high in the sky, and the stars twinkling overhead. She walked down the sidewalk, the cool night air was refreshing and woke her up slightly, her headache slowly ebbing away.

Reaching her apartment, Ella kicked off her shoes after locking the door. She had picked up something to eat from the convenience store since it was already ten o'clock and she was too exhausted to cook anything. She ate her dinner in silence with a large glass of wine at the small dark brown table, an empty chair across from her.

Now that it was officially the weekend, she wondered what she was going to do with herself. She had two days off in a row! It was the first time that she had two days in a row off. Since she worked so hard, maybe she would take tomorrow off to just relax in bed, reading. Or perhaps she would paint. It had been a while since she had painted anything. If it was nice enough out, she could go to one of the parks and paint, taking lunch with her and making an afternoon out of it.

She cleared away the garbage and headed into her bedroom to change into her leggings and a comfortable t-shirt when she noticed that she had received a message on her cellphone. Her heart raced as she picked it up and opened the message.

 _We're going to have so much fun! Haha. I can't wait for the games to begin!_

Could it be any more cryptic? Ella's hands were shaking. Another message appeared with an attachment. Her better judgment was telling her to leave the attachment alone, and no sooner had she thought that when another message appeared.

 _Don't even think about ignoring the attachment. Open it._

She stared at her phone in horror, her eyes quickly darting around the room. The blinds and the curtains were closed. Another message arrived.

 _NOW._

Ella reluctantly clicked on the attachment. It was an address.

 _Go to the address. NOW. When you get there, I'll send you something else._

Ella's hands were shaking as she grabbed her purse and keys, put her shoes on, then headed out into the night. She called a taxi and waited for it at the front of her apartment building.

She had to be out of her mind to be going to some address at this hour, but she was worried that if she didn't, something bad would happen. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end.

Once she was at the address, she received another message that told her the password to input into the keypad. Her body was telling her to run, but her brain was telling her to just do whatever it was the person wanted. He, or she, was obviously watching her even though she was certain that she hadn't been followed.

The lock clicked open.

Now what? She wondered. Another message arrived. Ella couldn't help but look around her cautiously, studying the darkness around the corner. She swallowed around the fear in her throat and looked up, discovering a CCTV. If he hadn't followed her, there was a chance that he was watching her through the cameras.

 _Go inside_. The message said.

Ella gnawed on her bottom lip as she tentatively stepped into the apartment. It was dark inside, but she left the light off, scared of what she might find.

At once her phone made a loud beeping sound as though connecting to something, startling her with the sound, she nearly dropped the phone. The screen changed to what appeared to be a chat room.

"What the hell?" Ella said aloud. She saw four people logged on, they were reprimanding someone for not attending their classes as often as he or she should.

 _How are you going to get a job to pay for you to live if you don't go to classes?_ Someone named Zen asked.

 _You need to find a job that pays well if you want the luxury to do whatever you want._ Jumin said. Wait. _Jumin?_ As in Jumin Han, her boss? Nah, that was too much of a coincidence.

 _Not all of us can be born with a silver spoon,_ Zen commented with an emoji.

 _Yoosung is still on the list for interns._ Jumin pointed out. Yoosung appeared surprised.

 _That's not fair, that's like a free pass without having to try hard._ Zen appeared ticked.

 _Wait! Stop typing. Someone else is in the chat room!_ 707 announced.

 _What? Oh my God!_ Yoosung typed. _Who is this person?_

 _Hello_ , Ella typed

 _OMG. How is this possible?_ Yoosung wondered.

 _Reveal yourself, Ella_! Jumin commanded. Ella's eyes opened wide with horror, her mouth slightly agape. She looked up at the names in the chat room and realized that her own username was set to her own name.

 _You tell me about yourselves first_. Ella typed on her phone, hitting send.

 _Feisty_. Jumin said.

 _This_ _is a private chat room for RFA members only. How did you get in?_ Zen asked.

RFA?

Taking a deep breath, Ella went into the full—altered—story of how she received a mysterious text message from an unknown person asking her to help him locate the owner of a phone. He had sent her an attachment with an address. The only reason she had helped the person was because he said he was out of the country. She left out the part that the same person had called her and threatened her. She hated that she had just lied to these people, but she didn't even know them, how could she just trust them?

 _And you just opened a random attachment from a stranger?_ 707 questioned.

 _Seven, stop interrogating and do something!_ Jaehee said.

 _Already on it_. Seven replied. _Well, whoever this person is, I've got their IP address as well as their location. The location is coming from Rika's apartment._

 _What?!_ The other members were surprised at this news. Who the hell was Rika? Ella wondered to herself.

 _Did this unknown person give you the password?_ 707 asked.

 _Yes_. Ella replied.

 _Anything else?_ Jaehee asked.

 _She's a she_. Seven replied.

 _Someone should notify V_ , Yoosung suggested.

 _Alreadyonthephoneleavingamessage_. Seven typed.

 _Spaces_! Zen shouted.

 _Sorrytypingwithonehand_. Seven said.

 _Hi, I'm Yoosung!_ Yoosung introduced, ignoring the previous messages. He even sent a picture. Zen did the same. Seven introduced Jumin and even sent a picture of Jumin and his beautiful white cat.

Ella froze, startled. It was her boss!

 _Oh! She's cute!_ Seven commented.

Wait, what? Ella thought. How does he know if I'm cute or not?

 _Send a picture!_ Zen pleaded. At that moment, Seven sent a picture, but it wasn't of her. On closer inspection, she realized that it was Assistant Kang. Jaehee.

 _THAT'S HER?_ Zen asked with obvious surprise.

 _Um, that's me._ Jaehee said.

Ella stifled a laugh and wondered if Seven did that on purpose.

 _707, defender of justice is working on it!_ Seven took a few moments while everyone else talked cautiously. It seemed that they were all suspicious of her. To be honest, she didn't blame them. She would have been suspicious too if the situation had been reversed.

A few minutes later…

A person named V entered the chat and greeted everyone. Seven had filled him in on what had happened.

 _It's strange that she's at Rika's apartment. Ella, I have to ask that you do not disclose the address of the apartment to anyone and keep the password private._ V instructed. _If the person that sent Ella knew the password, it may have been someone Rika knew and trusted._

 _Uh…_

 _What?_

 _Someone that Rika knew and trusted?_ The others voiced their surprise at this information.

 _Since Ella is at the apartment, I can only assume that this is what Rika wanted._ V continued. Everyone seemed rather skeptical of the whole situation. _I think that Rika wanted someone to continue the work she did._

 _You think that she planned this before she died?_ Yoosung asked.

 _Got it! Ella Song, 31 years old. Born in Vancouver, Canada. Moved to Korea shortly after being born. Attended Sky University with top marks in her class._

 _Stop! You're invading my privacy!_ Ella pleaded. She didn't want anyone knowing anything else about her. This was already too much information.

 _Ella Song? That name sounds familiar._ Oh my God! Ella's heart pounded against her ribcage. Jaehee knew that it was her, she was sure of it!

 _It looks like Ella is completely harmless._ Seven finally concluded.

 _Can someone please explain what is going on? I'm so confused._ Ella pleaded.

 _I'm so happy that there's another woman in the group, and Seven says she's cute_! Zen exclaimed happily.

 _Oh my God. He's excited because Ella's a girl?_ Seven asked incredulously.

 _Yup_. Zen admitted.

 _You are insane, as is your heart._ Jumin said.

Finally, the group assisted in telling Ella about RFA and Rika. How it was a group that she founded four years prior to host parties for a good cause, donating the money to people and organizations that really needed it. Everyone in the RFA helped contribute to the party to help her, and that Rika died a year and a half ago.

Jumin voiced his skepticism, but that he would go along with V's decision, for now.

 _Ella, please be careful when you are in the apartment. We don't want to set off the alarm. Luciel will take care of it later so that you have access to the apartment._ V informed her.

 _Does she have to stay there?_ Yoosung asked.

 _No. There's no need for her to stay there. She can use the app since it's directly connected to Rika's computer._ V said. _For now, just wait until Luciel gives the okay for you to leave._ With that, V excused himself and left the chat.

 _Our organization has helped many people. You won't regret joining._ Jumin assured her.

 _Uh, wasn't Jumin against this in the first place?_ Yoosung pointed out.

 _I'm merely following V's orders._ Jumin replied.

 _We'll be able to chat more and get to know each other. It's not every day we get to meet a cute girl!_ Zen said.

 _How do you know she's cute? I never sent a photo of her._ Seven asked.

 _Men_. Jumin said. Ella agreed with Jumin's sentiments, rolling her eyes.

 _You're not a man?_ Zen asked.

 _I thought Jumin was gay_. Seven said.

 _I'm not going to waste my time responding_. Jumin huffed. _Stop shitting around and stop interrupting me._ Jumin reprimanded them as if they were children. _Will you Join the RFA?_

 _Alright, I'll give it a go._ Ella decided.

 _Wow! She didn't take long to answer!_ Yoosung was amazed.

 _How earnest._ Jumin said.

 _Great. I registered her already, so she can't change her mind now!_ Seven said triumphantly. Ella shook her head with a smile.

 _Anyway, everyone may agree with V's decision, but that doesn't mean that I trust you completely._ Jaehee informed her. Ella understood that. She was a complete stranger to them that had somehow entered into their secret association. She just hoped to God it wasn't some cult.

Remembering V's words, Ella remained logged into the chatroom and waited until Luciel, Seven, told her that it was safe for her to leave the apartment, and not a moment too soon, she thought. Being in the apartment in the dark kind of creeped her out. Even though it seemed like everyone knew who Rika was, something about the apartment felt off. She was curious as to why, of course, but since she didn't need to be here to access the necessary files for the party, she decided to leave. She had one too many surprises for the evening, and she suddenly felt wiped out.

Ella logged out of the chat room so she could call a cab. It was late, she was exhausted, and she wanted the comfort of her own bed. Thankfully, no one had passed her in the hallway and questioned what she was doing there.

Now that she was part of the RFA, Ella took her time getting to know some of the other members, though Jumin, Jaehee, and V left shortly after Ella agreed to join.

She knew that Zen was a narcissist, going on about how God made a mistake creating his beautiful face, women swooning over him all the time. She also knew that he was an actor that performed in musicals and other theater productions, most of which you could find on DVD. Despite his warning of not looking him up on MeTube, she did it anyways.

Seven, or Luciel was quite eccentric and she couldn't figure him out right away, though she assumed that she could describe him as an onion, hiding away his true self under so many layers. She had seen it time and time again.

Yoosung was someone who had no idea what he even wanted to do in life, though he was already in university. He was mostly focused on playing some game called LOLOL instead of focusing on his studies. He continuously talked about Rika and compared her to Ella. He seemed like a sweet kid, though, and he was genuine when it came to his feelings.

Ella refrained from talking about herself as much as possible and only gave away snippets of information if she absolutely had to. She didn't like talking about herself, though she knew that Seven probably knew more about her than anyone in her entire life had, thanks to his digging into her past. She couldn't blame him. She had been an intruder in their secure and private chat room, of course someone had to check to make sure she wasn't some psycho.

Speaking of which, she remembered the threat that this unknown person had made just a few days before and shuddered. It was because of unknown that she was now in this position. Could he see what she was typing? Since she didn't know for sure, she refrained from mentioning him again, just in case he somehow used it against her.

Ella spent some time getting to know the rest of the features on the app. She saw that each of the users had their own profiles at the very top. She clicked on each of them and saw their status updates as well as their photo and a banner photo. She even had her own section. Someone had changed her banner to a photo of cute puppies. Her face turned red as she imagined Seven going through her personal information.

Since she was certain that Jaehee knew who she was, thanks to Seven divulging her information, she decided that uploading a photo of herself wouldn't hurt. After all, Jumin and Jaehee both seemed like sane people. It didn't appear that she had just joined a cult since Yoosung and Seven had given her more information about the RFA. She found a photo on her phone that she liked of herself and uploaded it. There. Now she felt more like a member.

As she continued playing around with the features, her phone rang. She jumped, but realized that the screen showed a picture of Seven.

"Hello?"

"Hello Ella, this is Seven. I wanted to personally thank you for joining our organization. If you need any help, you can ask any of us. Do you have any questions?"

"Yes. Do you think the hacker that led me here can see our messages?"

"To be on the safe side, I would refrain from talking about this unknown person from now on. At least, until I finish looking into the matter."

"I understand."

"Good. In that case, good night."

"Good night," Ella returned, hanging up the phone in stunned silence. Her mind was swirling so much that, if she had been standing, she was sure that she would have fallen over like some drunk.

Finally, the cab pulled up to her apartment. She paid him and climbed out, then headed into her apartment and flopped onto the bed. She continued to play around with the different features on the app, noticing the call function. She clicked it and found the caller information for each of the other RFA members. She couldn't believe that she now had access to her own boss and his personal assistant through this app. It felt rather strange.

She received messages from all of the members, except for Jumin, V, and Jaehee, which she replied to almost instantly. Despite the events of the day, Ella was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open. She got ready for bed quickly and the moment her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Daffodil

Chapter Three

Daffodil

The next morning, Ella woke up and got ready to go out. As she was making breakfast, she quickly checked the app and saw that Zen and Jaehee were already chatting together. Since she had something important to do, she ignored the chat and clicked the call function. She found Seven's number and clicked the call button. The phone rang seven times before he finally picked up. Had he done that on purpose? she wondered.

"Good morning!" he greeted happily. Ella wanted to groan at his cheerfulness. She was not a morning person.

"Good morning," she repeated. "Have you figured out who this unknown person is?" Ella asked.

"No, I've been working on it all night. So far, I haven't been able to find how that person even knew about the app. I'm working on strengthening the security, especially the chat rooms."

"In the commotion of last night, I left my purse there. Is it safe for me to go back to retrieve it?" She didn't like lying about it, but what other excuse did she have for going back when V clearly said she didn't have to be there?

"Everything is fine. My maid and I will keep an eye on you through the CCTVs. Call me again before you leave."

"Sure. Thanks, Seven."

"My pleasure."

They ended the call and Ella ate her breakfast, then cleaned up the kitchen a bit before she grabbed a clutch purse, shoving necessary cards like her ID and two credit cards and some cash before heading to the apartment door. She slipped on a comfortable pair of sneakers, then grabbed a light jacket and slipped the clutch inside. It was a bit chilly outside this morning. She called Seven and he gave her the okay to leave. Once she stepped outside, he informed her that he could see her clearly. She looked up at the CCTV, smiled, and waved.

It took a long time for Ella to reach the apartment building. When she was finally there, she waited for Seven to text her before she got on the elevator and took it to the ninth floor, where the apartment was located. She stood in front of the apartment door, staring at the number lock on the door. She remembered the number, she was just so nervous that she had to take a minute to gather her courage. What was she going to find inside the apartment? Why was Seven watching her through the CCTVs? Did they think the hacker was going to be waiting for her there?

Steeling herself, she reached her free hand and punched in the code. She heard the lock slide open. She took another deep breath before pushing the door open and stepping inside.

The apartment was brightly lit, thanks to a large window letting in the sunlight. The walls were a pale yellow color, which caused the place to almost glow in the sunlight. Everything was neat and tidy, as though someone had cleaned it recently. That, or Rika had just been an excessively organized person. The very thought made Ella's blood run cold. Ella ran her hand along the small desk near the door and rubbed her fingers together. No one had been here in a while; there was a buildup of dust on the counter. Thank God.

Continuing into the apartment, she noticed the closet on her right. The bathroom was next to it and she could see the bedroom straight ahead. The kitchen was on her left and the living room was also straight ahead. The blinds were wide open, which caused Ella to feel slightly uncomfortable. She immediately made her way over to the open window and looked out. Thankfully, Rika's apartment was facing the street; however, there was another apartment complex across the busy street. Ella knew that no one could see inside at the moment, thanks to the blinding sunlight pouring into Rika's apartment. She decided to leave the blinds open, in case someone realized that she was inside.

The living room was just as tidy as the kitchen. A small ivory-colored couch was against the wall and a widescreen TV sat across from it on an ivory-colored TV stand. A neatly folded yellow blanket rested on the back of the couch, right in the middle. Two small yellow pillows that matched the blanket were on either end of the couch. They were a bright cheery yellow that reminded her of a daffodil. On the far side of the couch, near the balcony doors, a large black vase stood that had dark brown swirling branches sticking out of it. To complete the look, there was a large sparkly golden ribbon, tied neatly in a bow. She had to admit, Rika had good taste when it came to interior decorating. She thought of her own bare apartment and wished that she could brighten it up as well.

Ella faced the TV stand and noticed the pictures on it of a beautiful woman with long golden hair and bright green eyes. She was standing close to a man with light green colored hair and matching green eyes. V, Ella thought. They were standing close together under a cherry blossom tree. They both looked so happy. In fact, most of the pictures that were on the TV stand were of her and V.

Ella looked at the walls and saw beautiful photos of landscapes and flowers. There was a small bookcase next to the TV stand filled with books and more photos. Ella made her way over to it and looked at the photos. She saw pictures of Rika and Yoosung together, though he looked different since his hair was dark instead of blond. There was also a photo of Rika, V, and Jumin together; everyone was smiling in the photos, except for Jumin.

Knowing that Seven was watching her, she didn't have a lot of time. She quickly moved into the bedroom, Ella noticed that the covers were completely smooth. She examined the dresser next to the door and saw the dust. Again, there were no marks on the dresser that showed someone else had been here. Good, Ella thought. She saw more pictures on the dresser of Rika and V. She saw the computer against the wall and the bed opposite.

Curious, Ella started going through the drawers. The first drawer was just panties and lingerie. The second was full of clothes. She moved onto the third and found papers, which she pulled out and leafed through. Nothing in particular caught her eye. She moved onto the last drawer and rummaged through some more loose papers. That's when something caught her eye.

There, at the bottom of the drawer, was a strange emblem. Ella tried to pick it up, but instead of coming off, the bottom of the drawer collapsed. Ella cringed at the sound it made, hoping that no one could hear her inside the apartment. She pulled the bottom of the drawer up and saw a hole in the floorboards. Her heart hammered in her chest. That was suspicious. Had Rika known it was there all along? Feeling like she was a detective in a movie, she suddenly realized that she was leaving evidence all over the place of her being here. She cursed under her breath and reached into her pockets to pull out her gloves. Better than nothing.

It was dark, so Ella pulled out her phone and used it to help her see. She found a worn book hiding in the floorboards along with some papers. Ella pulled them out and stuffed them into her clutch, then put the journal aside on the floor. As much as she wanted to look through them now, she thought better of it. The less time she spent inside, the better. Ella replaced the bottom of the drawer and put all the items back in, then moved towards the closet.

Tons of clothes, mostly dresses were in Rika's closet. She pushed them away so she could see the back of the closet, but found nothing of interest. There were boxes on the shelf and more boxes on the floor. Ella groaned. She looked at her watch to see how much time had passed. She didn't want to raise suspicion, but she just had to know why the apartment was giving her such a bad vibe. Sighing heavily, she began opening box after box, rummaging through all the items inside, but not finding what she was looking for. The boxes contained old clothes that Rika might have kept to donate.

It wasn't until Ella rummaged through the last box on the floor that she noticed a smaller one hiding behind the box that she had just pulled out. Immediately, Ella pulled the box on top of the larger one and looked inside. Another clothing item. Ella was about to close the box when she suddenly saw something off. The dress was a light pink color, but a dot of red caught her attention. She pulled out the dress and gasped as a gun fell onto the floor. She held up the dress and saw that it was spattered with dark-colored splotches. Some of which were brown.

Blood.

Dropping the dress onto the floor with horror, Ella moved backward and stared at the dress and gun as though they had suddenly started talking to her. What the hell was a gun doing in Rika's apartment and why was one of her dresses spattered with blood? What was going on?

Ella finally made up her mind. She picked up Rika's dress and covered her gloved hand with it, then she picked up the gun and wrapped it back up. She put it back inside the box and shoved it back to where she had found it.

Something fell somewhere and Ella jumped in alarm. She froze, listening carefully. There was nothing. She released the breath that she had been holding. Ella had spent too long in the apartment, it was time for her to leave. Ella put the box back inside the closet, making a mental note that it was the last box on the left. She closed the closet door and was about to leave the bedroom when something shiny blinded her as the sun hit it. She squinted and moved to the side, then made her way over to the window where a key lay on the floor.

"Not weird at all," Ella muttered under her breath.

Picking up the key, Ella looked around the room, but couldn't see anything that needed it. She exited the bedroom and went into the kitchen. That's when her eyes locked on a drawer with a keyhole. Gnawing on the inside of her lip and heart hammering in her chest, she made her way over to the drawer and had almost put the key inside when her cellphone rang. The key fell from Ella's hands, landing on the floor with a clatter. She put her hand to her heart as she answered her phone.

"Did you find your purse?" he asked her.

"Yes, sorry. I was just admiring the view from the window," she lied.

"Have you gone into the kitchen?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well, yes. That's where I found my purse," she answered. "Why?"

Seven hesitated.

"Don't try to open the locked drawer in the kitchen," Seven instructed.

"Why not?"

"Well, you see…there's a security feature on that drawer. If anyone except me tries to open the drawer, the bomb will go off."

"The _what_?!"

"The bomb."

"You couldn't have told me this sooner? What happens if I had tried to open this _first_?" Ella's blood was boiling now.

"You didn't," he pointed out.

"That's not the point!"

"You know now."

"What's inside the drawer?" she asked.

"More classified information."

"Well, that's convenient." Ella rolled her eyes. She wanted to mention the hidden journal that she had found, but decided against it. Best not to mention it until she knew exactly what they were dealing with. There was also no way she was going to mention the gun that she had found either.

"Are you leaving soon?" Seven asked her.

"Yes, I'm about to leave." Ella replied. Seven hung up and Ella picked up the key, putting it in her clutch. She checked the cupboards and everything else until she was satisfied. Then, she stuffed the journal inside the waistband of her leggings, exited the apartment and waved the clutch at the CCTV, smiling, then went back home.

Resting on the couch, Ella pulled out the journal from her purse and examined it. The cover was leather with a leather cord wrapped around it three times. Imprinted on the cover was the same emblem that she had seen at the bottom of the drawer, an eye. She unwound the cord and set it on the coffee table, then opened the journal.

Rika's name was on the front page, smack in the middle. Ella turned the page and saw Rika's tidy writing as she poured her heart out in her first entry. It was hard for Ella to read because of all the pain that Rika felt at the loss of her pet dog, Sally.

 _Everything is my fault. Sally's death is my fault all because I didn't want to pay for the surgery to get her eyes fixed. I have no one to blame but myself for that._

 _I can feel the darkness taking over me, dragging me down into the dark abyss, into the nothingness that lies beneath me. Darkness from all corners, seeping into the very fibers of my being. I feel like I'm floating in the darkness, trapped. Lungs screaming for release until, nothing._

Ella flipped the pages to the next entry.

 _I'm certain that there's someone watching me. I can feel eyes on me when I'm outside of the apartment. I've told V about it, but he thinks that I'm just imagining things. I know I'm not. I can feel it in my bones._

 _I've been keeping a close eye whenever I go out, but I can never catch the person that's following me. I think they're really good at hiding. Like it's their job to remain hidden in the darkness._

Ella flipped the pages again and landed on a random entry a few months after the one she had just read.

 _I saw Sally today. She's doing well. I can't believe that I was able to meet her again! I thought she was gone forever! But there she was, in front of me. I could feel her silky fur and smell her dog-smell. She licked my face and we went for a walk together. I enjoyed the day very much._

From the journal entries, Ella could clearly see that Rika had been delusional. She had been paranoid to the point where she added the extra locks Ella had seen on her doors and windows and even had Seven implement a bomb into the drawer of the kitchen where she kept her most private papers. Ella wanted to know what was in that drawer considering she found this journal in Rika's bedroom and the gun and bloody dress in the closet. Had Rika's paranoia so great that she hid things in different locations?

Clearly, Rika had suffered from a mental disorder. Her earlier entries described how she wanted to kill herself, and even tried to commit suicide, though V walked in on her.

Where had the gun come from? Whose blood was on Rika's dress? Ella wondered.

The journal entries were causing Ella to feel slightly nauseated, so she took a break from reading them. She carried the journal into her room, opened up the filing cabinet, and deposited the journal deep inside, buried among Ella's paintings. Ella locked up the filing cabinet with her key, and slipped it back into its hiding spot, inside the small pocket she had created at the back of her psychology textbook.


	4. Chapter 4: I Can't Understand

" _We're going to get out of here," Ella persisted, though she could feel the doubt creeping up, its clammy hands on her throat, squeezing hard, cutting off the air supply. Ella choked, bringing her hands up to her throat, clawing. The doubt squeezed harder, choking off all air supply until Ella saw stars. Then, there was nothing. She was dead._

Choking, Ella woke up, coughing and sucking in air. What kind of dream was that? Her hands were at her throat. She bolted out of bed, went into the bathroom, and looked at herself in the mirror, noticing the red marks on her neck.

What the hell? Ella blinked the sleep out of her eyes and leaned closer to the mirror. The red marks were still there as if someone had actually been squeezing her throat. Her heart hammered in her chest as she moved cautiously out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. She grabbed the sharpest knife she had, brandishing it as she moved from the kitchen into the living room. No one was there. She checked the windows. All locked. She moved towards the door. Locked. Ella moved back into her room and checked the window there. It too was locked.

Feeling slightly paranoid herself, she moved back into the bathroom and looked at her throat again. The red marks had vanished as if they had never been there in the first place. Had she been imagining things? Ella set the knife down on the counter and rested her hands on the counter, hanging her head down. What was that dream about? Where had she been?

A sharp pain shot through her head.

"Ah!" Ella placed her hands on her head as if felt as though someone had cracked her skull open like a coconut.

Ella's cellphone rang from her bedroom, causing her to jump. She immediately went back into the bedroom, knife forgotten. She picked up the phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Don't even think about telling anyone that I keep contacting you," he commanded.

"Or what?" she asked. She had nothing to lose.

"Or I'll kill everyone around you, especially those in the RFA." Ella's heart nearly stopped, her body felt as cold as ice at the threat. She didn't want blood on her hands, especially the RFA.

"Fine!" she shouted into her phone, her head still pounding.

"If you're good, I'll leave you a gift. You'll hear from me again." He ended the call. Ella's hands were shaking violently. She couldn't even go to the police with these threats in case he really did hurt the other members in the RFA. Why was he targeting her?

Ella was too shaken from the phone call to process what she did next. Before she knew it, she had somehow ended up in the shower and was standing under the scalding hot water. Her skin was red from the water, so she turned the tap slightly.

After she got out of the shower, she changed into comfortable clothing and made breakfast. As she was eating, she logged into the messenger to see who else was online. Jumin and Yoosung were logged in.

 _Good morning_ , Jumin greeted.

 _Good morning_ , Ella returned, though she didn't agree that it was a good morning after what had just happened to her.

 _I can't believe that you've joined the RFA and we can host parties again!_ Yoosung commented excitedly.

She took a sip of coffee and cringed. She doubted that she would ever master the use of the French press. The coffee tasted bitter.

 _Luciel is still looking into the hacker, but until then, everyone should keep alert._ Jumin suggested. _Ella, did you eat?_

 _Yes, I just finished eating my breakfast._ Ella replied.

 _Good. It's not good to skip meals. Your body won't absorb the nutrients it needs properly if you skip. Eating three meals a day also helps your body process vitamin D._ Jumin informed her.

Er, okay? Ella thought to herself, mystified as to why Jumin was relaying this information to her.

 _I always eat three meals a day_ , she assured him.

 _That's good to hear!_ Yoosung said. He sent a picture of an omelet that he made. She recognized the folded egg with a smiley face on it. It was omurice, a Japanese omelette made of rice and eggs. It looked tasty.

 _That looks good! I wish mine turned out as nicely as yours!_ Ella exclaimed.

 _Thank you! I make this quite often since it's easy to do and fast. The meals at the cafeteria are terrible and taste like cardboard._ Yoosung informed her.

 _What university do you go to?_ Ella asked, trying to keep herself engaged in the conversation so she could forget about the phone calls, though she had forgotten what the dream had been about.

 _Sky University._ Ella knew where it was. She had heard that the food wasn't the greatest there and she felt bad for Yoosung. In fact, she wondered why he was preparing his own breakfast.

 _Do you live by yourself?_ Ella asked him.

 _Yes! It's lonely to live by yourself, isn't it? I don't think I'll ever get used to it._

 _It's not so bad._ Ella replied. _I can do whatever I want in my own home._ In fact, she agreed with Yoosung. _The worst time is when you're eating, though._ She admitted though she wished she hadn't.

 _Right?!_ Yoosung wholeheartedly agreed with her.

 _You just need someone to share it with._ Jumin joined in. Ella wondered what his girlfriend or wife looked like and instantly pictured a refined woman with a big hat, white gloves, dressed in a serious looking blazer and matching skirt.

 _Jumin, your cat Elizabeth doesn't count_ , Yoosung reminded him.

 _Her name's Elizabeth the 3_ _rd_ _,_ Jumin corrected. That was a mouthful, Ella thought. At that moment, Seven joined the chat.

 _Elly!_

Jumin submitted an angry emoji that looked like a chibi version of him and Ella smiled. Cute.

 _Her name's Elizabeth the 3_ _rd_ _!_ Jumin repeated angrily. Ella wondered if he was constantly correcting everyone from calling her other things.

 _She must be very special to you_ , Ella commented.

 _She is. She was given to me by someone special._ Ella wondered who that was.

 _I want to give Elly hugs!_ Seven said.

 _You are not allowed to touch her!_ Jumin said. _The last time, I caught you torturing her on the CCTV!_ Jumin sent a picture of Seven sitting on a bench with Elizabeth's paws in his hands, stretched upwards. Ella sniggered.

 _Has anyone reported him yet?_ she joked.

 _No._ Jumin answered. _Though, if it happens again, I will._

 _You can't deprive me of my love, Elly!_

 _Her name's Elizabeth the 3_ _rd_ _,_ Ella corrected with a grin.

Ella remained in the chat room for a while longer. Jaehee signed into the chat.

 _Mr. Han, you didn't return my calls._

 _I hear your voice every day, so I get tired of hearing it._ Jumin answered honestly. Ouch, Ella thought.

 _I've got to go! See you later!_ Yoosung left the chat and Zen entered.

 _I see Trustfund kid is being a jerk again._ Zen commented.

 _I am not being a jerk. I am merely being honest_.Jumin corrected.

 _Whatever. You do know that Jaehee has feelings, right?_

 _There's no need to get emotional over anything._

 _Ella, don't listen to whatever this jerk says._ Zen told her. _He's stone-cold and doesn't care about other people's feelings. He only cares about himself and his money_. _Isn't that right, Jaehee?_

 _I suddenly remembered something urgent._ Jaehee immediately logged out.

 _Is she avoiding Jumin now?_ Ella asked, smirking.

 _I can't understand how she puts up with you._

 _Why is she avoiding Jumin?_ Ella asked, surprised that Jaehee left so quickly when she obviously had something to tell Jumin.

 _I'd like to know as well._ Jumin said.

 _Simple. You're her boss and she values her job._

 _That's not a good reason to avoid me._

 _Jaehee is honest and she didn't want to get into trouble by agreeing._ Zen said.

 _I don't think her honesty would bother him._ Ella observed. She had seen Jumin working. He was unattached, aloof. It seemed as though he were pragmatic. It was good not to put feelings first in certain situations, but it wasn't good to suppress all emotion.

 _I value honesty. She should not be afraid to voice her opinions._ Jumin and Zen continued bickering with each other. It got to the point that Ella felt like she was dealing with children. As amusing as their conversation was, she knew that she had to leave soon in order to get to work on time. It was hard to believe that the weekend was already over.

 _Why don't you two call a truce?_ she suggested.

 _A truce?_ Jumin asked.

 _Yes. I think it would be good for you two to be nice to each other._

 _Hmm. In that case, I'd like to add a clause against badmouthing cats._

 _Are you serious?_ Zen asked.

 _Quite. I'll speak to my lawyer about it._ _Why don't you try staring at a picture of a cat to get used to it?_ Jumin suggested. He sent a picture of a cute cat.

 _Haha_ …Ella didn't know why, but she was laughing.

 _Oh, Ella's laughing at you._ Zen teased.

 _No, I'm not. I was laughing at what he said._ Ella pointed out.

 _I'm glad you saw the humor in it._

 _Aww! So cute!_ Ella exclaimed once she looked at the picture of the cat.

 _Get that furball away from me! My nose is getting itchy!_

 _That picture never gets old._ Jumin said fondly. _Ella, I must leave for work. I'll talk to you later._ Jumin signed off.

 _That jerk! He's always doing whatever he wants and always torturing me with pictures of cats! God! I'm allergic. Did you know that he brought that furball to the party one time?_

 _Oh, really? I guess he couldn't bear the thought of leaving her cooped up inside the house._ Ella thought. It made sense. She would have felt guilty if she had been gone for hours with her pet inside.

 _Ugh, not you too._

 _Sorry, Zen. I have to get ready for work or I'll be late. See you later!_ Ella logged off.

As Ella was riding the train, her cellphone rang. It was Jumin.

"Hello?" She answered.

"It's me," Jumin said unnecessarily. "I'm stuck in traffic and thought it would be a good way to pass the time." He paused for a moment, thinking.

"Actually, listening to your voice on the phone isn't bad either." Did he just compliment her? As if he read her mind, he added, "That's a compliment."

"Oh, thank you. Do you really think it's good?" Ella asked quizzically.

"Speak slowly and let me hear it again." Ella's mind suddenly raced and she said the first thing that came to her mind.

"Ju-min, Ha-n," she instantly regretted it as she heard Jumin's surprise. He was going to kill her. How could she be so stupid?

"That's very bold of you, saying my name. But, yes. You have a good voice. Gentle and quiet." Ella's ears burned at the compliment from her boss. It felt strange to be complimented, especially from him. Her heart thudded so loudly that she could hear it in her ears.

"I hope you are not driving," he said.

"No, I'm on the train."

"I see. Do you take the train every day?"

"Yes."

"Is it crowded?"

"Very," Ella replied.

"Is it not better to drive?"

"Yes, but parking and traffic are impossible and I like to think that I'm doing my part not leaving a carbon footprint."

"That's very good thinking." Another compliment? Was this really her boss? "The planet is very important. I wish people would take more care of it," Jumin said sadly. Ella agreed with him, but before she could tell him that, he spoke again.

"Oh, we're here. This is the first time we've talked on the phone but it wasn't unpleasant. I'll call you again if time allows it." He hung up, leaving Ella staring out the window in shock.

At work, Ella sat at her desk and immediately started to work on her project when something from the corner of her eye caught her attention. There was someone sitting in the cubicle across from her that was normally empty. She peeked from over her computer and saw dark brown hair and brown eyes. He caught her staring at him and he smiled at her.

"Looks like I'm your new neighbor," he said with a voice deeper than Jumin's. "I'm Gil-Su, but you can call me Gil," he introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Gil. I'm Ella," she smiled at him, then went back to work. She was glad that she had a neighbor. He seemed like he was a nice person.

Once her report was finished, she printed it out and carried the file towards Jaehee's office to ask her whether or not she wanted to have lunch with her.

"Hello, Ella," Jaehee greeted with a smile, though she kept her eyes on her computer screen as she typed. It was the first time that Jaehee had addressed her by her first name rather than her last name.

"Morning, Jaehee. I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch together?" Ella asked. Jaehee stopped typing and looked up at her from behind her glasses. She looked surprised. Maybe she shouldn't have called her Jaehee after all.

"Lunch?"

"If you have time, I mean," Ella said as her eyes looked at the large pile of documents that were resting next to Jaehee's computer.

"Yes, I'd love to. As long as I get these documents finished," Jaehee cast a wary glance towards the documents.

"I'm finished my report. Do you want me to help you with the documents?" Ella offered. Jaehee looked surprised at Ella's kind gesture.

"Oh! No, that's okay. I can manage. I'm used to this." Jaehee looked down at her keyboard for a moment before she began speaking again. "I read the messages in the chat after I left. I hope you weren't offended by anything that Mr. Han said."

"On the contrary, I found it quite amusing."

"Mr. Han and Zen always quarrel like that in the chats, but we're all actually very close. We're like family to each other," Jaehee explained.

Neither of them had noticed that Jumin was standing just off to the side of Jaehee's office, listening to their conversation.

"Mr. Han finds sharing emotions exhausting, so he doesn't open up to people easily. Don't take it personally."

"Isn't he married?" Ella asked. Jaehee eyed her quizzically.

"Is this because of what Luciel said earlier?" Jaehee was referring to when Luciel said that he had heard that Jumin was gay.

"Oh, no. I was just asking because you said that he has a hard time opening up to people and that he doesn't let his emotions get in his way."

"I think Mr. Han's only love has been Elizabeth the 3rd," Jaehee said carefully. Ella nodded her head. She was starting to understand Jumin a little bit better now. Though he carried himself well and didn't let little things bother him, there was something in his past that made him wary of other people as well as sharing his emotions with them.

"I think he'll open up once he finds someone that he can truly trust and that understands him."

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course." When it would happen, she wasn't sure, but she knew that it wasn't entirely impossible. Jumin was a handsome young man with a unique sense of humor. He was also humble. She still hadn't talked to him enough to know if he was truly kind as well, but from what she had seen so far with how he handed off documents to Jaehee like a kid ate candy, she had yet to discover the answer.

"If you two are quite finished discussing my love life, I'd like to see Ella in my office." The two of them froze the instant they heard Jumin's voice. Ella's heart nearly leapt into her throat. Her hands suddenly became clammy.

Oh, shit! she thought. I'm going to be in so much trouble! She snuck a glance at Jumin's face before he walked away and saw that he looked impassive.

Ella followed Jumin into his office and closed the door behind her as Jumin sat down at his desk, knitting his hands together as he rested his elbows on his mahogany desk. He was handsome, but he was also daunting with that stoic face of his and cool gaze.

"I apologize," Ella said before he could say anything to her. She hoped to God that he wasn't angry.

"Have you ever experienced the sorrow of leaving your pet?" What? Ella did her best to hide her confusion and surprise at the sudden conversation that they were having. Where had that come from?

"Of course." A painful memory flashed through Ella's mind and she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the dog. The memory vanished just as soon as it had appeared, leaving her with a throbbing sensation in her temples.

"Are you a cat person?"

"I like cats, but I prefer dogs."

"I see. I read that people who love animals are kind."

"I heard the same thing," Ella found herself smiling. He really did cherish Elizabeth 3rd quite a bit. If he loved his cat that much, he couldn't be a bad person. In fact, people who loved animals _were_ kind.

"If you miss Elizabeth the 3rd that much, why don't you get one of those pet cameras so you can check on her?"

"I tried that once. The camera followed her around, but she was scared of it."

"You could always video chat with Elizabeth the 3rd," Ella suggested.

"That's not a bad idea. I'll take it into consideration. Do you like to read?"

"Yes, I love reading." Ella's bookshelves were stuffed full of books that she had gotten from the bookstore's sidewalk sale. Pre-owned books were donated to the bookstore and sold for a dollar so they could find a new owner. It was the easiest way for her to acquire new books since they were so cheap. She had found many new 'friends' in the books that she owned.

"What kind of genre interests you?"

"I like all kinds. Fantasy, romance, and suspense when I need a break from the world and non-fiction to keep my mind active. How about you?"

"Hmm. I'm not surprised to hear you say romance, as most women like that genre. I prefer non-fiction as well. What are you currently reading?"

"I'm reading a book about the Knights Templar. I find it fascinating how they just disappeared. There's also speculation that some went into hiding and re-emerged as a new group in Portugal called the Order of Christ."

"You like history?" Jumin sounded surprised.

"I love reading about history from all over the world."

"What do you think is most important, the past or the present?"

"It's all important. The past allows us to see our failures so we can, hopefully, learn from our mistakes. It also allows us to see how we've overcome obstacles to get to where we are now, which makes me appreciate our history that much more." Ella was going on a tangent now, and she couldn't stop herself.

"But, the present is important. It's not good to dwell on the past because it's gone. We just have to take our mistakes and push forward, to become something even better."

"I agree." Jumin said. "The present is important. Our personal pasts are irrelevant, but the past of our ancestors, that's something else entirely."

"It's too bad that society doesn't seem to learn from past mistakes." Ella was referring to all the insanity going on with bombings, nuclear threats, etc.

"People get too hung up on emotions," Jumin explained.

"Emotions don't last forever, but people keep themselves tied to past animosity and pass it down from generation to generation. It's sad."

Jumin nodded his head and Ella realized that her left heel was beginning to hurt from standing in his office the entire time in her high heels. God, she hated high heels. She would give anything to change into some flats or sneakers, or better yet, her comfortable low-heeled boots right now.

"Is that your report?" he asked her, nodding towards the folder she was holding in her hands. Ella nodded her head and handed it to him.

"Is there anything else you need me for?" she asked.

"No, that is all," Jumin informed her.

However, just before she was about to leave, Jaehee's voice sounded on the intercom.

"Don't forget you and Mr. Chairman are supposed to have lunch today."

"We are?"

"Yes. You told me to remind you."

Wasn't Mr. Chairman Jumin's father? Ella was trying to think of the information she knew about the company in her head. Yes, Mr. Chairman was indeed Jumin's father.

"Did I?" Jumin appeared to be perplexed.

"You seem flummoxed." Ella's hand rested on the door handle as Jumin cast her a dark look. Had she said something wrong? "You must have a lot to remember," Ella added, hoping that he wasn't angry with her. Jumin sighed heavily.

"Mr. Han?" Jaehee asked.

"Yes, very well."

Ella heard the click as Jaehee hung up.

"Father wants me to meet his new girlfriend." Ella could hear the contempt in Jumin's voice.

"Oh, I see." Ella didn't know what to say. Was this a bad thing? She didn't know anything about the chairman. Jumin seemed to realize this as well.

"He always has a new woman on his arm," Jumin explained. "It's nothing new. I'm just worried that another relationship so soon will put our company in a bad light."

"All the more reason to try harder to raise sales," Ella said brightly. Jumin regarded her for a moment. "Anyway, good luck."

"I don't need luck, but thank you," Jumin said. Ella nodded her head, smiling, and exited the office.

… **.**

At lunchtime, Ella went towards Jaehee's office to see if she had cleared the papers from her desk only to find another stack.

"It looks like a tornado hit," Ella commented, looking at all the papers.

"Tell me about it. I'm sorry, I don't think I can make it for lunch."

"Don't worry. I'll bring you something back," Ella assured her. Jaehee thanked her and went back to work. Ella made her way over to her desk to grab her purse when Gil caught her putting on her jacket.

"Are you going for lunch?" he asked her. Ella nodded her head.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Ella looked at him with surprise. "I don't know anyone here," he reminded her. Ella smiled at him.

"Not at all." Though the moment the words were out of her mouth she regretted it instantly. She wasn't used to spending time with other people. She didn't have any friends, it had always just been her for as long as she could remember.

Gil smiled at her and grabbed his jacket from behind his chair.

"Thanks," he said as they made their way towards the elevator.

They found a nice looking restaurant that was only a few blocks away from the building and went in. They ordered some fried chicken to share as well as some side dishes and drinks.

"Do you live around here?" Ella asked him as they waited for their food.

"I live about twenty minutes away, it's a nice walk in the morning and after work," he said. "How about you?"

"Unfortunately, I don't live quite as close as you. I have to take the train, which takes about forty minutes."

"Where were you working before?" Ella asked.

"Oh, I was working for a company in Busan, but I moved here recently because my mother is sick."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. Family is important, isn't it?"

"Yes," Ella replied, growing quiet at the mention of family. Fragments of memories flashed in her mind, causing her to feel dizzy and immense pain in her head.

"Are you okay?" he asked her. Ella looked up into his eyes and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Sorry. For a moment, I couldn't remember if I left the stove on." She laughed with embarrassment, hoping that he couldn't see through her lie.

"I'm so forgetful that I wouldn't be surprised if I left it on myself," Gil said just as the waitress brought them their drinks. "So, what's there to do around here on the weekends or for fun?"

"Uh," Ella was caught off guard. "To be honest, I usually spend my weekends at home, reading or watching TV."

"What? You mean you don't go out?"

"Well, sure. I go for walks in the park, but that's about it."

"Don't you hang out with your friends?"

"N-No," she replied, losing her composure. "My friends moved away," she finally lied. She hated lying to people, but she didn't want him to know that she didn't have any friends. It was embarrassing. And sad.

"Do you like to sing?" he asked her.

"Sure." She shrugged her shoulders casually.

"Maybe we should try a karaoke bar on the weekend," he suggested. "It would be good for you to get outside and see other people, other than the characters in your books." He smirked at her.

"You're probably right," Ella agreed. They made plans to go to a karaoke bar after work on Friday and for the first time in Ella's life, it felt good to have something to look forward to other than her date night with wine and a good book.

"…The woman tried to return the suit after all that trouble," Gil finished his story.

"You're kidding, you mean after she wore it and stained it?"

"Yup."

"What did she say?"

"She said that she changed her mind about the material. She didn't say anything about the stain. I told her that I had to refuse because of the stain. She got angry at me and demanded to see the manager, saying that I had embarrassed her in front of all the people in the line."

"I think she embarrassed herself, trying to return merchandise that she had damaged herself."

"What did the manager say?"

"He backed me up, thank God. I think I would've quit on the spot if he had taken it back to save face for the company."

"I probably would've done the same thing."

"Anyways. What did Mr. Han want to talk to you about in his office?" Gil asked. Ella chewed her chicken slowly, trying to think of what to say.

"Oh, he just wanted to check on the status of my report." Ella wondered why Gil was asking.

"I don't mean to pry, it's just that I heard him call you into his office and I noticed that you were there for a while. What's his office like?"

"It's big. Much bigger than our little cubicles. The furniture looks expensive, too. He's got mahogany bookshelves and desk, with a comfortable looking chair that I could probably fall asleep in if I ever get the chance to sit in it."

"God, it must be nice to have lots of money." Gil sighed dreamily as he leaned back in his chair.

"Yeah. I wish I could have a million dollars. It would probably last me a lifetime." They looked at each other and chuckled.

"Not the extravagant type, are you?"

"No. I'm just a simple girl with a simple life."

"Oh, come on. You're not _that_ simple," Gil assured her. "Having a quiet life is commendable. With the chaos of work, bills, and other things, I think I'd rather live a simple life than a life in the spotlight."

"Yeah. I just get tired of routines," Ella admitted. "Sometimes I wish that something extraordinary would happen to break me from my routines." Ella realized that something like that _had_ already happened. The strange phone calls, messages, and joining the RFA.

"I understand that." Gil nodded his head. He lifted his cup of coke in the air. "Here's to breaking the ordinary routines." Ella smiled and raised her own glass. They clinked their cups together and took a sip of pop.


End file.
